A seat assembly comprises a seat frame which defines a seat surface for a motor vehicle occupant, and a backrest which is coupled pivotably to a frame subassembly of the seat and can be folded about a pivot axis onto the seat surface.
A seat arrangement of this type can serve both for forming a front seat and for forming a rear seat of a motor vehicle. It permits the backrest of the corresponding motor vehicle seat to be folded forward onto the seat surface in order to provide additional storage space. As a rule, the corresponding seat surface is formed by a seat cushion which is arranged on the seat frame. The seat frame therefore defines the seat surface insofar as it determines the position of the seat cushion. However, the seat surface is not formed by the seat frame itself, but rather by the seat cushion.
In the case of a seat assembly of the type mentioned at the beginning, there is the problem that when it is folded forward the backrest may collide with the windshield, in particular via a head restraint provided on the backrest, (in the case of a front seat) or with the backrest of another seat (in the case of a rear seat).
It is therefore necessary, before the backrest is folded forward onto the seat surface, to remove the head restraint from the backrest and to deposit it at a separate location. This considerably impairs the ease with which a seat assembly having a backrest which can be folded forward is operated.
The invention is therefore based on the problem of improving a seat assembly of the type mentioned at the beginning in respect of the ease with which it is operated.